Letter 1575: No one would be found worthy of the heavenly festival unless he were truly adorned with the marks of virtue.
To Dioscorus and Timothy.
No one would be deemed worthy of the heavenly assembly unless adorned with the ornaments of virtue. Since indeed certain people parade virtue in words, as you have said, yet by their deeds commit things worthy not only of festive gathering but of punishment, they clearly carry one thing on their tongue and hold another in their heart. Such people are not to be emulated but deeply lamented.
To Dioscorus and Timothy. An invitation to repentance.
Let no accusations, O best of men, which certain people — though they seem trustworthy — spread against you, prevent me from exhorting you to do what is right. For it would be terrible if their slanders were to destroy our goodwill toward you. What I wish to say, then, hear briefly: you would be right to show that those accusers are not telling the truth. But if they speak truly, repent. And if you refuse, know that you will be cut off from the company of friends.
To Palladius the Deacon. One's own faults must first be corrected before another's.
It is utterly ridiculous for someone who has not been able to rule himself to attempt to rule others. For the one who has not only failed to subdue his own passions but has even given them license to do whatever they will and can — that person will be laughable when he tries to correct the faults of others. For he does the same as if a physician covered in sores should attempt to heal the ailments of his neighbors.
To Herminus the Count. On simony and unworthy ordination.
Both those who sell and those who buy the priesthood, as you have written, bring forth the greatest proof against themselves of the opinion they hold regarding the matter. For they would never have dared — some to sell, others to buy — a divine thing which is owed to the finest conduct and upright character. The standard of the matter is the fitness of the one who receives it, unless one regards it as a plaything. What punishment, then, awaits those who play games with what is no game, your own wisdom would know. In ancient times among the Hebrews, when the priesthood was passed down by lineage, many objected to why it was assigned to birth rather than to virtue. But now that it has been reformed for the better and transferred to virtue, it is abused even more grievously than when it was lesser and assigned by heredity. For then, even if some were unworthy, there were also excellent men, and buying with money was utterly forbidden.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
Μιτιμίθηι υεγϑὶς φει ἡαοίαπι, ορετε ποη ὀχοσρθηῖ. Νεπιο οοἴδβι! ἀΐβθινυπι δυΐα ἠυυΐςοῖ, πἰεὶ νίγια- Οὐδεὶς μὲν ἀξιωθείη τῆς οὐρανίου πανηγύρεως, ἰθ2 δἷϊ ἀξεογδίυς ογηδηιθηι8. Θυοπίδπι φηΐη νθῦ- μυἱς ἢ Πλπὰ υἱγιυΐαπι οαἰθηιϑηι68, υἱ δα Ρ᾽ , ἀοργθἤ θη - ἀπ αν, ορογίθυδ νοτο ἤθη το ΡδηοαΥνὶ, Γγθηυθη- ἰἰχυὸ οοπγεηίυ, δα οἱ ροηΐβ ἀΐρηα οοπιηϊίυηί, φυϊάδιη ᾿ἴηρυα, αἰΐα ρϑοίογθ ἰηοίυβα ραβίμηιθδ. Θ."»ο5 πη τὶ ἠοἴλ8, πιαχίῃ) βιιηὶ ἀδρίογδηθ!. ΟΟΙΧΧΙΥ͂, --- ΘΙΟΒΟΟΒῸ ΕΤ' ΤΙΜΟΤΗ͂ΕΟ. μὴ γνωρίσμασιν ἀρετῆς ἐμπκρέπων" ἐπειδῇ; δὲ λό- γοῖς μὲν ταύτην σεμνύνοντές τινες, ὡς ἔφης, ἔργοις δὲ οὐ μόνον πανηγύρεως, ἀλλὰ χαὶ τιμωρίας ἅξια δρῶσι, δῆλοί εἰσιν ἄλλα μὲν διὰ γλώσσης φέροντες, ἄλλα δὲ διὰ γνώμης ἔχοντες " οὃς οὐ χρὴ ζηλοῦν, ἀλλὰ κομιδῇ χαταθρηνεῖν. ΣΟΔ’, --- ΔΙΌΣΚΟΡΩ ΚΑΙ ΤΙΜΟΘΕΏ. Αά πιείαπααπι ἱπυϊίαί. ΝΙΒΙΙ μγοϊήθοαι, ο νοηΐ νἱτῖ, δοουβαιίοπαθ, συ ἃ ηυϊθυδάδηι ἰἰδαυθ δἀ6 ἀΐχηΐα δ νογβυπ) γ08 αἴδγι!ης- ἘΠ, φυοπιίηυϑ οΟἰἶοὶἑ γὺ8 γϑνῖγὶ δἀιηοποδιη. Ογαγα δηΐη [], δὶ ποϑιγῶπ) δᾶ ψὸβ Βαῃδυο)θηι απ) ΘΟΓ πὶ Θχϑίσυδηῖ οΔΙμπηηΐῶ. Θυοά ἰφίτυν μοι ἀϊ- ἐδ ΓΘ, Ὀγδν οΓ δοοίρίι6. χυμηι . υἱ [Δ[8ἃ τγθ-- ἤεγγθ οβίθηἀδιΐ8, δίῃ υθγὰ πᾶγγδῃῖ, γεβϑὶ μίβειι6. Ουσὰ οἱ ΓΘΟΙ54115, δοίοἱ6 διῃέσογιπιὶ νῸ8 ΟἰΟΓΟ. δθθτο- ἔϑηυ0ο8. ΟΟΙΟΧΧΝ, --- ΡΑΒΙΑΡΙΟ ΒΙΆΓΟΝΟ. Οὐχ ἔστιν ὅπως αἱ αἰτίαι, ὦ βέλτιστοι, ὃς χαθ᾿ ὑμῶν λογοποιοῦσί τινες, χαίτοι ἀξιόπιστοι εἶναι δο- χοῦντες, χωλύσουσί με καραινέσαι τὰ δέοντα. Δεινὸν γὰρ ἂν εἴη, εἰ τὴν ἡμετέραν πρὸς ὑμᾶς εὔνοιαν αἱ παρ᾽ ἐχείνων διαδολαὶ ἀνέλοιεν. Τί οὖν βούλομαι φράσαι, συντόμως ἀχούσατε᾽ ὅτι δίχαιοι ἄν εἴητε δεῖξαι ἐκείνους μὴ ἀληθεύοντας" εἰ δὲ ἀληθεύουσι, γνωσιμαχήσατε᾽ εἰ ὃὲ οὐ βούλεσθε, ἴστε τοῦ χοροῦ. πῶὧν φίλων ἐχχριθησόμενοι. ΣΟΕ". --- ΠΑΛΛΑΔΙΩ ΔΙΑΚΟΝΏ. Γτορτῖα Ῥγῖμε υἱεἷα ἐρνεηθαπάα, φμαης αἰΐεπα ἀνε (ύοη. ἐρὶδι. , , . διηι δ αὐ ἐμπιάξπι θρίαι. γα] γἰαϊουϊωπν, Αἰἴο5 τόρογα γ δῖ ϊθ αυΐ εἰυὶ ἱρϑὶ ΒΟΘΌΘΙΩΙ ἐπ ρογᾶγθ. ()ἱ δινἷπν ΓΘ Δ πΐ Π)ΟἴΠ9 ΒΟῺ ΠΙΟΐῸ ΠΟΝ. Βυἶφὶ!, δο . ᾿ἰςαπιίδηι. ἀθάογῖι ρο- Κομιδῇ γελοῖον, ἑτέρων ἄρχειν ἐπιχειρεῖν τὸν ξαυ- τοῦ ἄρξαι μὴ δυνηθέντα, Ὁ γὰρ τὰ οἰχεῖα πάθη λυτ' τῶντα μὴ μόνον μὴ ὑποτάξας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄδειαν αὖ" ΨΑΒΙΖΙ ΓΕΟΤΙΟΝΕῈΒΚ ΕΥ̓ ΝΟΤΑ. () σοάά. γαιίο. θ860 οἱ ΑἸι.. χυδερνᾶται, ῬΟΒΞΙΝ, () Τοῦ μηδὲν οἱ παρασχευάσαντας δι) σοα. ἰῃδογιηΐ νομιδύῃναι. [, ἘΡΙΘΤΟΙΛΑΒῸΝ ... -- ἘΡΙΒΤ, ΟΟΙΧΧΎΠΪΙ. τοῖς τοῦ πάντα ὅσα βούλονται χαὶ δύνανται ποιεῖν Α ἰδβ(Διδιηησο εὐοτῖ(, συδοιηπαα Π06ῖ ροϊδδίᾳπιδ ρὰ- δεδωχὼς, οὗτος καταγέλαστος ἔσται, τὰ τῶν ἄλλων πειρώμενος διορθοῦν. Ταυτὸν γὰρ ποιεῖ, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις ἰατρὸς ἕλχεσι βρύων τὰ τῶν πέλας θεραπεύειν ἐπιχειροίη. ΣΟζ΄. --- ΕΡΜΙΝΩ ΚΟΜΗΤΙ. ἰγδηιϊ, ἰἷς ρογγ σα ἀναάοῖ, Δηογυπ οἱ δγγδίἃ οοΥΡίσοτα δυάδαῖ. Ρογίηδα δηΐμ ἴδο!, δια δὶ π - «ἴοι ὉΪ αν ἢ δ) οτυιι δυΓΑΓΘ ΠΊΟΓΌΟΒ. ἙΟΙΧΧΥ͂Ι. -- ΒΕΆΜΙΝΟ ΟΟΜΙΤΙ. . φγαδεαη!ε δἰπιοπία, δε βαςργ(οιδ πιναϊδιαιίοπθ. ( για οἱ (ἰδ. , δρῖδῖ. εἰ ], οἱ ... ἐρὶεί. ὅ94, εἰ ἱπίγα ορίεί, .) Καὶ οἱ πιπράσχοντες χαὶ οἱ ἀγοράζοντες, ὡς γέ- γρᾶφας, τὴν ἱξρωσύνην, μέγιστον χαθ᾽ ἑαυτῶν ἐχ- φέρουσι δεῖγμα, ἧς ἔχουσι περὶ τοῦ πράγματος δόξης. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἐτόλμησαν, οἱ μὲν πωλῇσαι, οἱ δὲ ἀγο- ράσαι πρᾶγμα θεῖον, καὶ ὃ πολιτείᾳ ἀρίστῃ χαὶ τρό- ποις ὀρθοῖς χρεωστεῖται. Κανὼν γὰρ τοῦ πράγματος ᾿ς Εἰ νδυύθη! οἱ Θπηθηῖ68, υἱ π ρβίβιϊ, 8ᾶ- «ογἀοιυπι, ἰΐ πιαφηθι) οοια . ρῥτοίδγιηι ΔΥΓβυη) ἢ : 4η8η ὁ παροῖο Ὠαῦθμί ορὶ- πἰοηΐβ. ΑἸΪοαυΐ Ὡ0 ) 6β86ηΐ: διι5] δπιθγ οἱ υὙδιίθγα ΤΟη) Αἰ να), Ορ᾿ηγαΣ ἀδυ δια δάμη] ἰδιγδιϊοι, Γροιίθφυθ τῃοῦίθιι8, οφυϊα οηΐη Ὠυ͵ γοὶ οί, δρίῃ8 ἡ ἐπιτηδειότης τοῦ λαμθάνοντος, εἰ μὴ παίγνιον αὐτὸ Β υἱ φυΐ 5υδβοὶρὶϊ, οἰδὶ ᾿]ογ φυσι δπι γὸ8. μαῦθὰ- εἶναι ἡγήσαιτο. Ποία οὖν ἀποχείσεται τιμωρία τοῖς παίζουσιν ἐν οὐ παιχτοῖς, ἡ σὴ ἂν εἰδείη φρόνησις. Πάλαι μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ τῶν 'Ἑδραίων ἐχ γένους χατ- αγομένης τῆς ἱερωσύνης, ἐμέμφοντο πολλοὶ, δι᾽ ἣν αἰτίαν τῷ γένει, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ τῇ ἀρετῇ ἀπενεμήθη" ἐπειδὴ δὲ χαὶ ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον μετεχοσμήθη, χαὶ εἰς τὴν ἀρετὴν μετεχομίσθη, μειζόνως παροινεῖται, ἣ ὅτε καὶ ἐλάττων ἦν, χαὶ τῷ γένει ἀπεχεχλήρωτο, Τό- τε μὲν γὰρ εἰ χαὶ ἧσάν τινες ἀνάξιοι, ἀλλὰ Ἦσαν χαὶ ἄριστοι τὸ δὲ χρήμασιν ὠνεῖσθαι παντελῶς ἀπηγό- ρξυτο" νυνὶ δι
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